The Clippers remain on the road this week, with games vs. the Hornets, Pistons, Rockets and Jazz before returning to Staples Center on Dec. 1.
The week ahead
The seven-game road swing continues beginning with the second end of a back-to-back Monday at Charlotte. The team will have off days onTuesday and Thursday with a visit to Detroit squeezed in between. The road trip will conclude with a back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday at Houston and Utah, respectively. All of the games can be seen on Prime Ticket.
The week behind
After a disappointing home loss to a Chicago Bulls team that was without Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose, the Clippers set out for a seven-game road trip and got the trip started off with a bang winning a back-to-back in Orlando and Miami. It was the first time in franchise history the club won at Orlando and at Miami on consecutive nights. It was also the first road win for the Clippers in Miami since 2008. The LeBron-less Heat were also Wade-less as the three-time champion sat out with a hamstring injury. After having couple of days off, the team visited Memphis only to leave bloodied and battered, falling to the Grizzlies 107-91. Blake Griffin had a season low in points (12), Chris Paul had a season low in assists (five), and DeAndre Jordan had a season low in rebounds (three).
Record and standings
Entering Monday, the Clippers are 7-5 on the season and looking down at only the Lakers in the Pacific Division as the fourth place team. The 7-5 mark is tied for ninth best in the Western Conference.
Thumb's up
In a game in which the Clippers had a tougher time than normal attacking the backboards, Spencer Hawes came off of the bench to grab a season-high 10 rebounds in the loss to the Grizzlies Sunday.
Thumb's down
The struggles for Griffin against the Grizzlies continues. He averages 21.4 points per game for his career but just 17.6 per game in 15 career games against Memphis. On Sunday, he finished with a season low 12 points. It was the fifth time in the last eight meetings with the Grizzlies that Griffin has scored 14 points or less.
Player to watch
Paul had a season low five assists against Memphis on Sunday but he did lead the team in scoring with 22 points and shot the ball well from the field, making 7-of-13 shots. However, the fine line of setting himself up versus setting up his teammates was a huge point of discussion before the Clippers set out for this current road trip. Despite leading the team in scoring Sunday, Paul didn't look to get involved offensively until after the first quarter. All of his points came in the second and third quarters as he continues to try to find a balance.
Stat to watch
The Clippers were outboarded by 20 in the loss to Memphis. On average the Clippers are getting outrebounded by six rebounds per game which is 29th in the NBA. Only the winless 76ers have a worse rebounding differential.
